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Agronomy
Special Issues
Potential Aspects of Agro-Industrial By-Products in Circular Agriculture
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Potential Aspects of Agro-Industrial By-Products in Circular Agriculture

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Biosystem and Biological Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2025 | Viewed by 3614

Special Issue Editors

Dr. David Correa-Galeote

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: environmental microbiology; wastewater treatment; microbial ecology; correlation networks; mixed microbial culture (MMC)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Antonio Serrano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: environmental microbiology; wastewater treatment; microbial ecology; anaerobic digestion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The continuous growth of the world population is putting higher demands on the world's food supply. Therefore, it is urgent to find environmentally friendly ways to promote plant growth and increase crop productivity. On the one hand, the abuse and misuse of chemical fertilizers has led to a general decline in soil quality, accelerating the deterioration of soil quality and reducing agricultural output worldwide. In addition, excessive reliance on inorganic fertilizers reduces the abundance, availability, or uptake of soil nutrients, compromising the function of the native plant growth-promoting rhizobium (PGPR). On the other hand, the increasing production of industrial organic wastes and other residues poses significant economic, social and environmental challenges. However, industrial wastes are often rich in fatty acids, volatile organic compounds, proteins and carbohydrates, and can act as a source of nutrients for crops and as a stimulant for the microbiota, promoting plant growth without damaging the environment. Considering this, hazardous industrial waste can be used to improve soil fertility, plant stress resistance and crop productivity, as well as balance nutrient cycling. Its agricultural utilization plays an important role in the realization of circular agriculture.

This Special Issue focuses on the novel utilization of industrial by-products and wastes for promoting soil fertility and nutritional status. We welcome novel research, reviews and opinion articles covering all aspects of using newly developed biofertilizers derived from industrial co-products to stretch the native PGPR microbiome. Moreover, improved farming techniques, including new eco-friendly compounds, that can help meet the increasing worldwide demand for food will be an essential part of this Special Issue. Finally, agronomic studies assessing these co-products as PGPR inoculants in sustainable agriculture are also welcome.

Dr. David Correa-Galeote
Dr. Antonio Serrano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agro-industrial residues
  • agro-wastes
  • food by-products
  • novel technology
  • recovery of proteins, dietary fibers, antioxidants, new fertilizers, etc., from plant origin by-products
  • valorization of industrial waste and crop residues with potential
  • application
  • biomass conversion
  • enhancing yield and quality of crops
  • plague control and stress prevention
  • new sources of PGRP
  • new microbial inoculants
  • sustainable agriculture

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 6825 KiB  
Article
Influence of Effective Microbial Additives Inoculation on Indigenous Bacterial Community Dynamics and Co-Occurrence Patterns During the Composting of Mixed Food Waste and Livestock Manure
by Donggyu Bang, Woojin Chung and Soonwoong Chang
Agronomy 2024, 14(12), 2973; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122973 - 13 Dec 2024
Viewed by 388
Abstract
Sustainable management of organic waste, such as food waste (FW) and livestock manure (LS), is essential for reducing pollution and promoting resource recycling. This study investigated the effects of Bacillus sp. inoculation and biochar addition on composting efficiency, microbial dynamics, and physicochemical properties. [...] Read more.
Sustainable management of organic waste, such as food waste (FW) and livestock manure (LS), is essential for reducing pollution and promoting resource recycling. This study investigated the effects of Bacillus sp. inoculation and biochar addition on composting efficiency, microbial dynamics, and physicochemical properties. Bacillus sp. accelerated the breakdown of cellulose and lignin, reduced moisture content, stabilized pH, and mitigated ammonia volatilization. Biochar reduced ammonia emissions by 17.04%, increasing to 28.89% with Bacillus sp. Next-generation sequencing revealed Bacillus sp. enhanced microbial diversity, suppressed pathogens, and promoted beneficial microbial interactions. LS treatments retained Firmicutes dominance (up to 95.17%), improving nitrogen retention, while FW treatments transitioned to Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota, driving plant material decomposition. By day 35, Bacillus sp. increased late-stage microbial taxa (Deinococcota, Myxococcota), linked to cellulose degradation and pathogen suppression. In FW biochar compost (FWBC), Planococcaceae and Bacillaceae synergistically decomposed complex organic matter. LS biochar compost (LSBC) reduced anaerobic families like Clostridiaceae and Peptostreptococcaceae, lowering methane and hydrogen sulfide emissions. Microbial network analysis highlighted improved cooperation under Bacillus sp., with LSBC sustaining positive interactions at higher dosages. These results demonstrate that microbial inoculants and biochar enhance composting efficiency, nutrient cycling, and environmental sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Potential Aspects of Agro-Industrial By-Products in Circular Agriculture)
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14 pages, 2061 KiB  
Article
Response of Metabolic Gene Panel to Organic Loading Stress in Propionate-Degrading Methanogenic Anaerobic Digesters
by Kris Anthony Silveira, Soraya Zahedi Diaz, Anna Calenzo, Vincent O’Flaherty and Fernando G. Fermoso
Agronomy 2024, 14(12), 2922; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122922 - 6 Dec 2024
Viewed by 525
Abstract
Propionate, a critical intermediate in anaerobic digestion, and its syntrophic removal, is sensitive to stress. To our knowledge, this study investigates for the first time the response of a metabolic gene panel to organic loading rate (OLR) stress in propionate-degrading methanogenic consortia in [...] Read more.
Propionate, a critical intermediate in anaerobic digestion, and its syntrophic removal, is sensitive to stress. To our knowledge, this study investigates for the first time the response of a metabolic gene panel to organic loading rate (OLR) stress in propionate-degrading methanogenic consortia in lab-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors. The experimental phases included stabilisation (1.4–2.8 g COD/L/day), electroactive enrichment, OLR shock (6 g COD/L/day), and early recovery. Quantitative PCR was used to assess the abundance of key functional genes (16SrRNA, mcrA, pilA, and hgtR). During stabilisation, ~200 mLCH₄/h was produced, the mcrA/16SrRNA ratio was 0.78–2.64, and pilA and hgtR abundances were 1.29–2.27 × 105 and 2.12–4.37 × 104 copies/gVS. Following the OLR shock, methane production ceased entirely, accompanied by a sharp decline in the mcrA/16S ratio (0.08–0.24) and significant reductions in pilA (1.43-log) and hgtR (1.34-log) abundance. Partial recovery of pilA and hgtR abundance (1.19 × 105 and 8.57 × 104) was observed in the control reactor after the early recovery phase. The results highlight the utility of mcrA, 16SrRNA, pilA, and associated ratios, as reliable indicators of OLR stress in lab-scale UASB reactors. This study advances the understanding of molecular stress responses in propionate-degrading methanogenic consortia, focusing on direct interspecies electron transfer in process stability and recovery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Potential Aspects of Agro-Industrial By-Products in Circular Agriculture)
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15 pages, 562 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Laccase and Manganese Peroxidase Activity in White-Rot Fungi: The Role of Copper, Manganese, and Lignocellulosic Substrates
by Viviana Benavides, Gustavo Ciudad, Fernanda Pinto-Ibieta, Tatiana Robledo, Olga Rubilar and Antonio Serrano
Agronomy 2024, 14(11), 2562; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14112562 - 31 Oct 2024
Viewed by 718
Abstract
White-rot fungi (WRF) are increasingly recognized for their biotechnological potential due to the wide range of applications of ligninolytic enzymes. The addition of different metals involved in the functioning of ligninolytic enzymes, mainly copper and manganese, has been widely studied to maximize the [...] Read more.
White-rot fungi (WRF) are increasingly recognized for their biotechnological potential due to the wide range of applications of ligninolytic enzymes. The addition of different metals involved in the functioning of ligninolytic enzymes, mainly copper and manganese, has been widely studied to maximize the enzymatic activities of the WRF. This review aims to provide information on the effect of metal-fungi interaction mechanisms that justify the effects of enzymatic activity. The addition of copper is associated with increased laccase activity, with reported improvements in the laccase activity compared to controls without metal addition of up to 100% at doses between 0.5–1 mM. The addition of manganese resulted in an improvement in manganese peroxidase activity with respect to the control at the wide range of 1–18.2 mM. Furthermore, enzymatic activity was generally favored by using substrates with lignocellulosic fibers with respect to synthetic culture medium. Quantifying the concentration of metals in the substrate is required to monitor bioavailable metals for fungi in these assays accurately, making an external contribution less necessary. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Potential Aspects of Agro-Industrial By-Products in Circular Agriculture)
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17 pages, 930 KiB  
Article
Nitrogen-Rich Sewage Sludge Mineralized Quickly, Improving Lettuce Nutrition and Yield, with Reduced Risk of Heavy Metal Contamination of Soil and Plant Tissues
by Margarida Arrobas, Ramily Meneses, Andressa Gribler Gusmão, Julieta Moreira da Silva, Carlos Manuel Correia and Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues
Agronomy 2024, 14(5), 924; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14050924 - 27 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1451
Abstract
Sewage sludge should primarily find use in agriculture, reducing the quantity directed towards alternative disposal methods like incineration or deposition in municipal landfills. This study evaluated the agronomic value and the risk of soil and plant tissue contamination with heavy metals in sewage [...] Read more.
Sewage sludge should primarily find use in agriculture, reducing the quantity directed towards alternative disposal methods like incineration or deposition in municipal landfills. This study evaluated the agronomic value and the risk of soil and plant tissue contamination with heavy metals in sewage sludge obtained from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). The experiment was arranged as a 2 × 5 factorial (two sewage sludges, five sanitation treatments), involving lettuce cultivation in pots over two growing cycles. The two sewage sludges were sourced from the WWTPs of Gelfa and Viana do Castelo and underwent five sanitation and stabilization treatments (40% and 20% calcium oxide, 40% and 20% calcium hydroxide, and untreated sewage sludge). The Gelfa sewage sludge, characterized by a higher initial nitrogen (N) concentration, resulted in greater dry-matter yield (DMY) (12.4 and 8.6 g plant−1 for the first and second growing cycles, respectively) compared to that from Viana do Castelo (11.0 and 8.1 g plant−1), with N release likely being a major factor influencing crop productivity. The high N concentration and the low carbon (C)/N ratio of sewage sludge led to rapid mineralization of the organic substrate, which additionally led to a higher release of other important nutrients, such as phosphorus (P) and boron (B), making them available for plant uptake. Alkalizing treatments further stimulated sewage sludge mineralization, increasing soil pH and exchangeable calcium (Ca), thereby enhancing Ca availability for plants, and indicating a preference for use in acidic soils. Cationic micronutrients were minimally affected by the sewage sludge and their treatments. The concentrations of heavy metals in the sewage sludge, soils, and lettuce tissues were all below internationally established threshold limits. This study highlighted the high fertilizing value of these sewage sludges, supplying N, P, and B to plants, while demonstrating a low risk of environmental contamination with heavy metals. Nevertheless, the safe use of sewage sludge by farmers depends on monitoring other risks, such as toxic organic compounds, which were not evaluated in this study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Potential Aspects of Agro-Industrial By-Products in Circular Agriculture)
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